According to the latest report from the Korean authorities, 146 people died and 150 others were injured in a gigantic mass movement on Saturday.
The balance sheet keeps growing. This Saturday, more than 140 people died in a district of Seoul, South Korea, on the fringes of celebrations organized to mark Halloween. A gigantic mass movement stands at the beginning of the drama.
BFMTV.com summarizes what we know about this rush and its aftermath.
· What happened?
As the Halloween celebrations in full swing took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday and a large crowd swept the capital, revelers in the Itaewon district of central Seoul were gripped by a huge crowd.
Photos released by Yonhap showed more than a dozen people lying on a street with emergency workers performing CPR on some of them while police cordoned off the crowd. However, according to video footage, around 20 bodies were covered with sheets or blankets as rescuers made no attempt to revive them. Other victims were evacuated on stretchers in ambulances.
Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified witness as saying the victims were crushed in mass movements. “People were lying on top of each other. Some were gradually losing consciousness, others were apparently dead,” said this source.
This year’s Halloween celebrations are the first since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has forced South Koreans to wear masks outdoors.
· What is the current balance sheet?
According to a recent report by the authorities, 146 people died in the mass movement and 150 others were injured.
“As of 4 a.m. (7 p.m. GMT Saturday), 146 people have been killed and 150 injured,” Choi Seong-beom, a fire official from the South Korean capital, told reporters at the scene.
“The large number of casualties is due to the fact that many people were trampled during the Halloween party,” he added, believing the toll could still rise.
· What tools are used?
A fire department spokesman said that after the events, 140 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to attend to the victims.
Facing the very large number of casualties, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has asked that hospitals be prepared to take in the wounded, the country’s presidency reported this Saturday. According to Yonhap, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was visiting Europe, decided to return in a hurry due to the tragedy.
· Why did the authorities first speak of “cardiac arrest”?
Before discussing the deaths that followed the mass movement, firefighters in the South Korean capital first announced that dozens of people had gone into cardiac arrest.
A choice that finds an explanation in the country’s medical practices: In South Korea, paramedics speak of cardiac arrest as long as a doctor has not officially pronounced a person dead.
· How are the reactions internationally?
Hours after the tragedy, as the toll continues to mount, President Emmanuel Macron tweeted in support of “the entire Korean people.” He expresses “a moving thought for the residents of Seoul” this Saturday evening.
“France is by your side,” added the head of state.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne underlined her “very strong emotion”. “All my thoughts are with the victims, their families and the Korean people,” always via the social network.
Britain’s newest prime minister, Rishi Sunak, also tweeted to lament the “terrible news from Seoul.”
“Our hearts go out to those who are currently responding and to all South Koreans at this very difficult time,” he continued.